Fleeting Hope
by Amber Komasaki
Summary: A Kingdom Hearts and Yu Yu Hakusho crossover that was old, but that's been being updated a lot more recently! Riku ends up in the world of Yusuke Urameshi and is mistaken for a demon! More Kingdom Hearts characters may come in later.
1. Chapter 1: Prelude

Riku's hair blew in the wind, as he stood atop a cliff gazing over the ocean and it's rippling tides. Memories were reflecting in his lustrous green eyes, scenes of the utmost torture. He had seen them many a time, but never would the change. Always, it was as if he were imprisoned inside of his own body. While his soul shone with the guilt of deeds from the past, he would be forced to perceive them as they flashed through his reminiscence.

_Please…make the pain go away…help me… _

From behind him, Riku heard a voice call his name and turned to face the mysterious figure, once again. It stood there, face enveloped in the darkness under the hood of its cloak, the key-like weapon grasped in hits hand. The only thing visible from under the hood, was a pair of eyes. They glowed a fearsome sky-blue. This time, there was no escape from this being. The only place he could go was off the edge of the cliff, to the far reaches of the ocean. Could he escape this creature in death?

_Why does it keep following me?! Does it want to tell me something, or try to slay of me?! _

Riku took a deep breath, filling his lungs with oxygen. He took two steps backwards, towards the edge. Without a second thought, he took one last step, and fell. The wind blew by him, howling, and he could feel it tingling at his fingertips. He felt like he was flying, into an abyss of endless skies.

_Is…is this what it's like to fly, Sora…? _

With a slap his body hit the water, back first. The impact caused him to exhale deeply, releasing all his precious air. Frantically, he flailed around, trying to get to the surface, but something was pulling him back down.

_Oh shit! Now, what?! _

Riku opened his eyes, cringing at the sting of the dirty water, and looked below him, trying to ignore the pang in his chest. He gasped at the sight of a gigantic octopus-like creature with his foot seized in one of it's tentacles, and then choked as he breathed in a large mouthful of water.

_I'm not gonna make it…I'm getting dizzy…can't see straight… _

His body convulsed, crying for air. Riku's vision blurred, and slowly he began to slip. Help. He needed help. He couldn't die here, not before seeing Sora and Kairi, again. He had to tell them so many things. The octopus pulled him closer, and opened it's mouth, revealing thousands of interior teeth.

_So…sorry…Sora, I'm…so…sorry… _

With an almighty wrench, the humongous creature dragged Riku's body through the rippling waves to it's deadly mouth. At the last second, it decided that he wasn't good enough for it's tastes and swam away.

_I can't…ngh…breath…uhhhhhh………………….. _

Riku's eyes closed, as his lungs stopped. He completely ceased to move, and his limp form swayed with the harsh ocean tides. Above the surface, the sky had grown dark, and the wind had died down, and the sky was full of stars. It was dusk.

Riku's eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the light around him. He groaned as he took a breath, for there was a sharp pain in his chest as soon as he breathed in. He shook his head, trying to remember what happened. After a few moments he stood up, but fell to his knees. His head was clouded by dizziness, and his chest was severely paining him. With a little effort, he pulled himself back on the bed and lay there breathing hard and coughing.

_How did I survive that cliff…? Where am I…? _

His head turned quickly towards the door at the sound of footsteps. An instant later, a figure entered the room. It was a pretty, young girl in a school uniform. She smiled.

"So, you're awake," she said calmly, "I'm Keiko Yukimura…and you are?"

Riku was having trouble focusing, for he was still rather dazed.

"I am…my name…Riku…" he said in a pained voice.

Keiko looked confused, "You seem so sad…," she said with a frown, "You're lucky to be alive."


	2. Chapter 2: Awakening

"Why am I…lucky?" he asked, his voice nearly breaking, "what happened…I don't, I can't…please…"

Her soft-brown eyes betrayed her sympathy, no, her pity, "I, well, we found you washed-up on the beach. We being me and my friend Yusuke, that is. You're at my house, Riku, did you say it was?"

He nodded numbly and lay back down, closing his eyes dejectedly.

_/ I don't get it…I should be dead, now… /_

He frowned slightly, and began thinking carefully about it. What could've happened that he'd survived. He hadn't seen land anywhere when he'd jumped the cliff, but somehow he'd arrived at it. These houses were like none he'd seen, either. In the brief, blurry look he'd had of Keiko's room, he'd seen a dozen things that weren't anywhere near what he would've found somewhere else. Large posters with people he'd never heard of, piles of books, some kind of black box with a glass front and two strange metal rods sticking out of it, along with strange clothes strewn about either carelessly or hurriedly; he frankly didn't care which.

_/ I couldn't possibly be in another world…those are only reachable by gummi ship, right…//_

He reopened his eyes to find Keiko still standing by the bed on which he lay, watching him earnestly.

"You can go, now," he said with an intimidating tone, "I'll be fine on my own. I'm used to it."

She shook her head and sat down beside him, gently reaching to touch his shoulder in an obvious gesture of comfort. His eyes widened and he slapped her hand then rolled out of her reach, letting out a low groan as ache spread through him from abrupt movement. She rubbed her hand where he'd hit it; the spot was already bruising slightly.

Ignoring it, she gave him a hurt look and said, "I didn't realize you don't like to be touched. I'm sorry. You shouldn't move about, though, or you'll hurt yourself even more than you have already."

He gave her a withering look in return but felt a dull pain deep inside, knowing he'd hurt her feelings so. He watched as she moved over to that black box and pressed a button that seemed camouflaged at first glance. Pictures appeared behind the glass and he jumped, feeling the recoil immediately. He stared, watching it intently. She smiled and stifled a giggle at his unmasked confusion and amazement.

"Its called a television," she said warmly, then handed him a strange, rectangular, black thing with buttons, "this is a remote. It controls the television. Press these two buttons," she indicated two of them, "to change the pictures on the screen. I'll be back soon with something for you to eat."

She exited the room as quietly as she had come in, leaving him alone with the strange 'television' machine.


	3. Chapter 3: Riku's attitude

Keiko re-entered the room with a tray and found Riku sitting up, leaning against the head of her bed. He had the remote and was flipping through the channels like any other accomplished channel surfer. He appeared to be mesmerized by the moving pictures and how they were different every time he hit the button.

"I brought you some tea and rice," she said with a smile, "I hope you like it. I tried really hard not to mess it up. I'm not the best cook."

Riku took the tray from her, setting it to rest in his lap, and gingerly picked up a clump of the rice.

"You use the chopsticks for that! You use them to pick it up, haven't you ever eaten before?" Keiko exclaimed quickly, trying to counter the bad table manners before they really had a chance to show.

Riku stared at her, for a long moment, then took one chopstick in each hand and dropped the clump of rice into his mouth. Almost immediately, he coughed and scraped at his tongue.

"Is it too hot?" Keiko asked quickly, looking a bit concerned.

Riku shook his head and made a face, "No, its too cold AND its absolutely disgusting. I've never tasted anything so awful in my life," he said matter-of-factly.

"Oh…" Keiko lowered her gaze to the floor, her eyes tearing up, and looked up to find Riku shoving in a few more mouthfuls.

"Its not bad when ya don't bother t'chew," he shrugged, still chowing down like there was no tomorrow.

"I'm glad you like it," Keiko replied, smiling again, "when you're done, we can go for a walk, if you like."

He nodded his consent and sipped at the tea cautiously, as if expecting it to bite him.

(Sorry the chapter was so short, the next one'll be longer! I just have to work on my overall dialogue and plot thing, here.)


	4. Chapter 4: The Walk

Keiko put on a light jacket, and pulled one out of the closet for Riku. It was Yusuke's but she figured he wouldn't mind, seeing as her new friend might need it. The jacket was fairly light, like hers, and was green with a blue stripe across the chest. It would match his eyes perfectly, since both colors were mixed in his iris's, so tightly knit that his eyes appeared to be both at the same time.

"Are you ready to go?" Keiko asked him timidly, her brown eyes looking slightly worried. He was very edgy, this Riku boy.

"Yeah, I'm good," he replied dryly, entering the room in his grungy clothes and putting on the jacket she offered him. He brushed his silvery bangs out of his face and looked at her expectantly.

She had been right. The colors went very well with his emerald eyes.

The two proceeded out the front door, walking side by side. Every now and then, Keiko would glance over at Riku, just to see if he was enjoying the walk or not. He appeared almost mesmerized by the huge buildings and the cars that he saw as they went on their way. She was curious just where he came from, that he was so amazed by these things. Even a simple machine like the television was new to him, it seemed.

"Hey, Riku, d'you want to get some sushi?" she asked him, giggling as he stared blatantly at a man on a motorcycle.

He turned to her and then replied, "Sure, sounds great! I actually know what that is!" he smiled and continued looking around.

Keiko grabbed his hand and steered him in the direction of her favorite sushi place, astounded that he didn't know what a television set was but he loved sushi. They were just about to cross the street to it, when she thought she heard her name.

"Keiko? Who the hell is that!"

She turned to see Yusuke standing on the street corner with Hiei and Kurama. He looked extremely angry.


	5. Chapter 5: Confrontation and realization

Riku looked mildly puzzled, but said nothing, just dodged to the side a split-second before Yusuke's fist would've collided with his head. His movements were so fluid that Keiko had to do a double take because she'd missed what had happened. Yusuke also seemed to have missed it, because it took him a moment to figure out where Riku had gone.

The boy was behind him, looking only slightly frustrated. Yusuke made another couple attempts to hit him, but found he was swinging at the air. He just couldn't hit Riku, for he wasn't quick enough. And he couldn't figure out a pattern in the boy's moves, either/

"You really are trying to hit me, aren't you?" Riku frowned, his eyes narrowed.

"What, are you stupid?" Yusuke's angry sarcasm was so loud that Keiko practically jumped, "of course I'm trying to hit you, you freak! You're a demon!"

Riku looked startled then scoffed, "Now, where did you get a silly idea like that, you little fool. I'm as human as your girlfriend, there. I'd compare myself to you, but I've yet to see anything human about you; I'd more compare you to an animal."

Kurama had to stifle a laugh, and Hiei rolled his eyes. Both had known immediately, upon seeing Riku, that he was no demon. Yusuke, though, had been sent on the mission by Koenma and hadn't bothered to think his 'boss' could be wrong. Yusuke was still fuming when Kurama finally spoke, and Hiei looked so exasperated that nobody expected him to speak at all.

"Yusuke…he's being truthful. There is no demonic aura around this boy, though I sense one similar to your own," Kurama looked thoughtful and added, "Perhaps Koenma had him confused with someone, or something, else. There could be a real demon wandering around the city, and if I'm right about this boy, then it was a good thing he was with Keiko since you were not. He's not evil, I can guarantee. Even Hiei will agree with me, because his knowledge of evil rivals even that of Koenma's and my own."

Hiei snorted but gave a slight nod, "Yes, any fool could tell he's not a demon."

Riku rolled his eyes and then said, "It took you all this long to decide that? I don't have time for junior court; I'm starving. Keiko, can we get that sushi, now?"

"Junior court?" Yusuke exclaimed, "Who the hell d'you think you are!" he looked just about ready to try hitting Riku again, his fists shaking and his eyes twitching.

Riku shrugged and said, "I've dealt with bigger fish, and I don't feel like dodging your pathetic attempts on an empty stomach," he took a step towards the sushi restaurant.

In less than a second, Yusuke had planted his fist into the side of Riku's face. The silver-haired boy flew across and made quite an impact on the cement. He dragged himself off the ground and staggered forwards from the wreckage, his eyes gleaming dangerously.

"You want to play rough, then?" from the air next to his left hip, he drew forth a dazzling, black key the size of a large sword. On the end there was a small chain with a black crown charm hanging from it, "meet the Oblivion," Riku stated dismally, "look closely, cause it'll be the last thing you see, idiot."

"No! Stop it, right now! Both of you!" Keiko intervened in Yusuke's behalf; her blue eyes were filled with, what looked like, tears, almost, "Yusuke, Riku, don't fight! Please!" her shoulders were shaking and her cheeks flushed.

Riku's eyes widened and he looked absolutely mortified, "W-wait, don't cry! K-Keiko, er…we weren't, uh, really going to…er, fight…" he patted her shoulder awkwardly.

Yusuke ran over, pushing Riku's hand away from Keiko 'by accident' and tried comforting her himself, "I'm sorry, really! We weren't really going to fight, Keiko! I promise! I'm too busy on my mission for Koenma, anyways!"

Riku, looking miffed, moved a little bit away and watched Yusuke trying to make her feel better. It was pathetic, kind of, but he felt bad for making her cry. Why was he such a sucker for crying girls? Maybe because…she had Kairi's eyes…they were the reason he resented her so much. She looked like Kairi, in all or her expressions and emotions, only with a different hair color. Her eyes made him uneasy.

"Kairi…" he whispered, suddenly realizing that he was lost in the universe, somewhere, with no idea how to get back to Destiny Islands.

What a great predicament. Stuck in a different world full of demons, crying girls and stupid boys who thought they knew everything.


	6. Chapter 6: A dagger of the mind

"What's your mission from Koenma, anyways?" Keiko asked, sniffing loudly and drying her tears on Yusuke's sleeve.

Yusuke made a face but collected himself and responded seriously, "We're looking for a demon. Its disguised as a human; apparently just got here," he shot an obvious glare at Riku.

"Oh, don't tell me," Riku laughed, the Oblivion still tight in his grip, "you still think I'm the demon. That is SO what I figured. You're a total idiot. Wow, I guess I'll go get my lunch, now that I'm obviously being threatened."

Hiei snickered—which was creepily unusual—and said quietly, "I think I like this kid. He's not the demon, Yusuke, as we mentioned before, though I can sense a strange aura about him."

Kurama nodded and put in his two cents, "I agree with Hiei. I can clearly tell he is not the demon, and I think you're letting your jealousy of his attention from Keiko get in the way of your judgment…but he has an odd spiritual presence. I would almost call it a mix between the darkness and light."

Yusuke glowered at the so that if looks could kill…

"Yusuke, you're jealous of Riku?" Keiko stammered embarrassed, "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize."

"Yeah," Riku grinned maliciously, "if I'd known she was your girlfriend I would've been 'nicer' if you get my drift," he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

A slow smirk spread across Hiei's face. This boy was funny. Funny enough to keep his attention for longer than a few seconds. It was pleasantly surprising.

Yusuke's fists shook as if he were going to swing at Riku again, but he restrained himself and merely spat at him, "You're absolutely heartless, y'know that? Heartless."

Riku's eyes widened for a moment, and then he looked strangely back at Yusuke, "I'm…heartless…?" he shook his head, trying to shrug it off, "…Kairi…"

"Are you okay, Riku?"

And he turned to see none other than Kairi, her brilliant blue eyes full of mirth. She giggled at him and walked over to where Kurama and Hiei were standing. Riku's wide, frightened eyes followed her. She stood there smiling at him with such purity—such absolute serenity—that he didn't know how to react.

"Kairi, what are you doing here…?" he whispered, his eyes holding a hurt look now, "how did you get here? Where's Sora?"

"Dude, Keiko, he's totally tripping-out," Yusuke whispered, looking uncomfortable.

It was then that Riku realized he was the only one who could see her. He swallowed nervously and turned away, trembling uncontrollably. Great, now he was lost in a strange universe AND going crazy; Just what he needed.

"I…I'm sorry…I kind of lost it, there, for a minute," Riku murmured, turning his gaze back to Hiei and Kurama quickly. She was still there, watching him with those eyes, "Its just that I…I was thinking of something…its probably that I'm hungry; lets go get that sushi."

Keiko frowned slightly and approached him very carefully, "Are you okay, Riku?" she asked with concern, her eyes glimmering in the daylight. He pushed her away promptly and darted down the nearest alleyway, wanting only to get away from those eyes—those ever-watching pools of his own personal horror and truth. The horror, he could accept; the truth, he couldn't.


	7. Chapter 7: Sushi and Riku's Self Pity

Riku sat, leaning his back against the cold, brick wall of an alleyway, hugging his knees to his chest and shivering violently. What was happening to him? Why was he here? Anger bubbled up within him, but he swallowed it down, unwilling to finger someone else with the blame.

_I should go back…Keiko is probably worried…_

He felt a little guilty about it; after all, Keiko had helped him when she didn't even know him. Closing his eyes, he whispered softly, "I just want to go back to the island…I just want things to go back to the way they were…"

He felt like crying, his eyes were burning and his throat was so dry it felt raw. He took a deep, wavering breath and then reopened his eyes. The colors around him were blurred and he frowned in confusion until he rubbed at his eyes; wetness met his touch and he sniffed irritably.

"God, Riku, stop it! This is pathetic!" he told himself, wiping his eyes quickly and standing up.

His cheeks were still blotchy and his breaths still uneven, but he shrugged it off and walked out into the crowd. 'Japan' as Keiko called it was swarming with people; so many that he felt almost claustrophobic moving amongst them.

It was difficult to retrace his steps, as he had been nearly hysterical when he'd run away, but he managed to; just enough to reach the sushi restaurant. The others weren't outside anymore, but his stomach growled and he wandered hungrily inside. He was 'pleasantly' surprised to find them all sitting at a table eating.

"Riku!" Keiko exclaimed, here eyes lighting up at the sight of him, "You're back!"

Yusuke smacked his forehead and did a sarcastic imitation of Keiko's enthusiasm, making his voice shrill and girlish, "Ohhh, Riiikuuu! I missed you soooo much!" he waved his hands above his head and fluttered his eyelashes.

Riku rolled his eyes and sat down next to Kurama, "Yusuke. You'd make a bad woman. Not that you make a good man, either, but…" he snickered, "just thought I'd tell you."

Hiei grinned maliciously and said, "Well, I _do_ like this kid; Even if he _is_ crazy."

Riku scowled at him and took a piece of sushi from the big plate in the middle, not even bothering to use chopsticks. He dipped it in Yusuke's small bowl of soy sauce and then stuck it in his mouth. It was delicious—salmon, if he was right. The rice was still sort of cold, and pretty sticky but not so much that it clumped up in his mouth. Perfectly rolled, if he did say so himself. Even the seaweed didn't seem as tough.

"That's good," Riku said, with his mouth full, losing a few grains of rice to the table, although it sounded more like, 'vaff oo'.

"Ewww!" Yusuke said loudly, making a face, "keep it in your mouth, weirdo!"

Riku snickered, swallowing the whole mouthful, "Sorry, didn't mean to offend you, I just haven't eaten anything that I deemed 'edible' in a while. No offense, Keiko."

Keiko flushed, "Oh, none taken, I know I'm not a great cook," she gave them all a weak smile, "although it's not from lack of trying."

Yusuke didn't say anything further, possibly from past experience with Keiko's cooking. Kurama also blanched, as if remembering something. Hiei laughed, making everyone else feel awkward. He'd obviously heard of both Yusuke and Kurama's incidents with Keiko's food.

"Well, sorry I ran off so fast earlier, it's just…" Riku put out his lower lip so that he looked heartbreakingly sad, "I thought of someone and…Keiko, you have her eyes."

Yusuke snorted then started choking because he'd been chewing a piece of sushi. He managed to get most of his mouthful down and a minimal amount on the table. Kurama had moved the plate from the center, protecting it, and now reset it seeing as Yusuke was done.

"Dude, you're corny _and_ psychotic," Yusuke sniggered, pointing at Riku.

Riku threw a piece of sushi at him, clearly frustrated, "I'm not corny, you retard, I'm serious," he dodged Yusuke's retaliation of throwing one back and continued, "look, I had a bit of a breakdown, okay? Now, before I left, I remember you saying something about a case. You though I was a demon, genius, remember?"

Hiei spoke up for Yusuke before the boy could argue, "We got a case about a demon who disguised himself as a human and Urameshi, here, was dumb enough to ignore us and go after you."

Riku nodded understandingly and said, carefully and deliberately, "So, while we're eating sushi there's a demon out there who could be preying on innocent people."

Kurama, who had been unnaturally silent said worriedly, "and all we can really do is wait for him to strike."


	8. Chapter 8: Ronoad? Randoh? Who?

Riku stood up swiftly and Hiei followed, eager for a fight. Yusuke watched them for a moment, before finally deciding that he had to help out, as he was the one who'd been assigned the case and as he refused to let Riku take the glory. Kurama waited kindly for Keiko and then the two went out after the other three.

"You think you're qualified to find a demon hidden among humans?" Yusuke asked Riku arrogantly.

Riku shrugged and responded smartly, "Not necessarily, but I figured you would follow me if I got up…and I _know_ you're qualified to find the demon."

Hiei laughed, creeping everyone out more than when he had the first time, "He knows how to work you to his advantage, Yusuke. You'd better watch out."

Yusuke glared but said nothing. For the next hour, they scoured the city mercilessly, and after finding no sign of the demon, they stopped in a park to rest.

Keiko sat down tiredly, dabbing at her brow with a cute handkerchief. Yusuke quickly took the seat next to her, before Riku could, and managed to make it so no one else could sit down. He didn't want to take any chances of her being nice and scooting him down for anyone—anyone meaning Riku.

Hiei was sitting lazily in a tree overhead, while Kurama leaned against its base, and Riku, recognizing Yusuke's unwelcome gesture, remained standing.

"That man…"

Riku's eyes lingered on a man crossing the street. He was a big, burly fellow with dark features and arms the size of Riku's thighs. The man looked rather 'shifty' and was behaving in such a way that made Riku suspicious.

Yusuke looked over to where Riku's gaze was and he blinked a few times, registering what he was seeing, "He's the demon…he's got horns, for Christ's sake…"

Hiei hopped down and wandered over, "Want me to tail him? I can find out where he's hiding and then come get you later."

"No, that's no good," Kurama said, shaking his head, "what if he doesn't have a definite hideout? We'd be stuck, and Japan's a pretty big place…"

Keiko nodded her agreement, "Kurama's right, only a few of us should go, lest he have friends. We don't want to all get lured into a trap of some sort."

"Good, I'll go," Yusuke volunteered, "and I'll take Hiei."

"Alright, then, but we should take the kid," Hiei jerked a thumb at Riku, "he could come in handy."

"No, I'm not taking some rookie into a dangerous mission!" Yusuke exclaimed angrily, proud to have thought up with such a great excuse, "he can stay here with Keiko and Kurama!"

"I'm not a 'rookie', got it?" Riku growled, "and we can dispute it here and now if you want to waste time, but I'm going to come no matter what."

"Hey, here's an idea!" Keiko said hastily, "Kurama and I will go get Kuwabara for backup and the three of you can go after the demon. Is that good for everyone?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Hiei said, before anyone could argue, then added, "let's go Yusuke, Riku."

The two followed him, Riku grinning and Yusuke sulking, towards the demon man, who headed down an alleyway. He wasn't aware that they were following him, yet, but it was probably only a matter of time, they were sure.

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Hours later, they weren't exactly sure how many, the demon man led them into an abandoned warehouse and then situated himself on a folding chair in the very center of it. Something was wrong about the whole thing, and all three of them knew it.

"I don't like this, he's just sitting there," Yusuke whispered nervously.

"Yes, it would seem we've most likely fallen into a trap," Hiei sighed, rolling his eyes, "not that we can't take them."

They all started as the demon stood up, smiling nastily, "Good to see you've all finally realized your mistake," he said aloud, looking up to the rafters where Yusuke, Riku and Hiei were hiding, "Now, I wish to fight Yusuke Urameshi, the spirit detective. Step down and face me, Yusuke."

Yusuke, hearing this challenge, exchanged a glance with Hiei and nodded, "I'm going to do it…" then aloud, "I'll fight you!"

He dropped from the ceiling, landing in a graceful crouch, and stood defiantly, "I'll take you on, demon"

Hiei and Riku also jumped down, landing on either side of Yusuke. The demon laughed loudly, manically, and then made a strange noise. It was low at first, but then it became a deafening wail. Yusuke and the others covered their ears, shuddering at the volume of the horrible sound.

Demons came, out from behind the crates and boxes that were packed into the warehouse, their eyes wild and their mouths pulled into spine-chilling grins. Hiei frowned, not having expected this many, and Riku's lips formed a neat smirk.

"I am Ronoad!" the main demon called, laughing again, "A disciple of Randoh! I will punish you, measly humans and blood traitor!"

"Wasn't Randoh the demon you defeated at Genkai's, quite some time ago?" Hiei questioned, looking confused, "well, let's hope this freak doesn't have any of his moves, too…"

"It would've been nice of Koenma to tell us about this…" Yusuke muttered under his breath.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Okay, I know that I've been getting slightly lazy, and I'm terribly sorry, but I travel all over the place over the summer and I'm gone a lot. Luckily, my writer's block has moved slightly to the left and I felt like writing another chapter to fleeting hope.

I dunno how good it is, but I tried to keep with the same kind of feeling I had in the first number of chapters. I know my styles changing a little, or it feels like it, so please bear with me while I mope about not being sure what to write…

Thank you for all your reviews! (They deserved four exclamation points) and I tried to make the chapter longer for those of you who are keeping up with the story. I really appreciate all the reviews; they make me want to write more even when I'm not sure what TO write.

Well, that's all for now, domo arigato!

Sincerely,

Amber Komasaki


	9. Chapter 9: The Keyblade

Ronoad struck out at Yusuke with a gigantic fist, but the young spirit detective moved just in time to avoid any injury. Behind them, the army of demons was moving closer to Hiei and Riku, who shifted uncomfortably.

"There certainly are enough of them," Hiei commented wryly, drawing his sword gracefully.

Nodding, Riku stood patiently, waiting for them to make the first strike, "Yes, they obviously have no shame in launching an attack on us when we're outnumbered."

Unable to wait any longer, Hiei flung himself into the midst of a group of lesser demons. He promptly began slashing them to ribbons. Yusuke turned for a split second, but then had to put all his attention of Ronoad.

"Come on, give me a hand," Hiei called, frustrated that Riku was merely standing there.

Riku closed his eyes for a moment, fingering the black crown attached to his belt loop. The metal was cold and he felt a sense of power coming from it. He breathed deeply, inhaling its sweet aroma.

_What does power smell like to you_

Riku raised a hand before him, dazedly, and watched as little streaks of light spiraled up from his key chain and wound themselves around his arm spider-like. He felt his throat muscles contract and, for a moment, he couldn't breath. Then the pressure released and a wind rose beneath him; it was like nothing he'd ever felt.

The wind flowed from the ground, carrying words and feelings that he knew weren't his own. They pushed themselves so far into his thoughts that he wasn't sure who he was, at first. Then it came to him, forming in his hand like liquid lightning becoming solid glass.

It grew on either side, the right wrapping itself around his hand like a handle and the left forming a long, black blade in the shape of a key.

_For me it smells like roses…addicting, intoxicating…yet sweet and pure… _

"What on Earth-" Hiei stared, his eyes widening.

Yusuke paused long enough that he only just had time to move out of Ronoad's line of fire, "What the hell is happening!"

Riku's eyes opened—a lustrous shade of gold—and he turned the shadowy weapon over in his hand, gazing at it with such a nostalgia, a longing, that…

"The keyblade," he breathed hungrily, "it's come to me…"

For some reason, this surprised him; he had known all along that it was his, hadn't he? No, the keyblade was Sora's. This had to be wrong.

_…Addicting, intoxicating… _


	10. Chapter 10: Ronoad's Defeat

Ronoad used their confusion to his advantage and landed his fist in Yusuke's chest, hard, yelling gleefully, "Not so fast now, are you?"

Yusuke flew back and hit the wall with a sickening thud, sliding down slowly and crumpling into a pile of crates. Riku stared at him for a moment, as if unsure what had happened, and then looked to Hiei for clarity.

_Why are you hesitating?_

Hiei was about to say something, when Riku finally seemed to regain composure. He held the key out before him, expertly, and ran at Ronoad with a fierce sense of determination. The demon moved, but Riku swung with such force that when the key missed, it blew through a large box nearby, disintegrating the very wood and rippling the air around with waves from the impact.

Grinning to himself, as he plunged into the group of lesser demons, Hiei thought smugly, "I told Yusuke it was a good idea to bring him."

Riku turned swiftly, pulling the key out like it weighed nothing, and took another swing at Ronoad. This time, Riku was too quick and managed to drive his blade through the demon's shoulder. A crimson flower blossomed from the wound and Ronoad let out a startled cry. A spray of blood erupted and splattered Riku, whose key was now lodged so deep in Ronoad's shoulder that he couldn't remove it.

Yusuke chose this time to emerge from the pile of splintered boxes, aiming his spirit gun and firing at Ronoad's chest. Riku yelped and swung to the side, just in time to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. The beam blew through its target so finely that Ronoad didn't have time to struggle; he was dead before he hit the ground, bringing Riku to his knees beside him. During this time, Hiei finished off the remainder of the demons.

Riku, meanwhile, was having a hard time pulling his gigantic key out of the fallen Ronoad's shoulder—he was consequently getting blood everywhere. Yusuke walked calmly over to him and took the handle, giving it a sharp tug. It came free easily and he tossed it to Riku, who promptly got to his feet.

"Nice shot," he said, wiping the blade on his shirtfront.

Yusuke shrugged, "He was staying still, thanks to you. For a second, I was worried, though…what the hell is that thing?" he looked cagily at the keyblade.

Hiei joined them, interrupting their thoughts, "That went well, I think. I was hoping he would be a bit stronger, at least…"

Yusuke laughed, "He was a poser demon—all talk!"

"Like you," Riku joked with him, "except better looking!"

Yusuke hit him upside the head and, sauntering to the door, growled over his shoulder, "Let's go, Keiko will be worrying. Poor Kuwabara, he was probably looking forwards to having some action…"

Hiei shook his head, snickering, "He gets plenty of action with those 'rival gangs' of his."

Riku moved to follow them, his eyes lingering on the form of Ronoad.

_One sky, one destiny…?_

He paused, looking forlornly at the keyblade in his hand, "Sora…Kairi…"

The blade glimmered, for a split second, then slowly faded away. Riku continued to stare at his bloodstained hand, even after it had gone, until Yusuke called after him.

"What the hell are you doing, waiting for him to come back to life!"

Riku shook it off and ran out after Yusuke and Hiei, confused about the keyblade situation and wishing for nothing more than soap and water—he needed it.


	11. Chapter 11: A Suprise Arrival

They reached Kuwabara's house just in time to catch Keiko, Kurama and Kuwabara. The three had been about to leave, having finally finished all the explaining and such.

"Surprise," Yusuke said with a grin.

Keiko screamed and exclaimed, "Yusuke! Are you all right? You're bleeding!"

Yusuke looked down at himself and shook his head, laughing, "Oh, that's not my blood! Sorry to worry you, its the demon's blood," he watched her, trying to continue, but she was already running over to Riku, "nobody else is…hurt…either…" he swore under his breath.

"Riku, how did it go? You didn't fight with Yusuke, did you?" Keiko asked him chastising, "and you're not hurt, I take it…"

"We didn't fight at all, we-"

Hiei interrupted him, "Kurama. This boy has a weapon that I didn't recognize. Its aura was strange, and it was shaped like a key. Any ideas?"

Kurama furrowed his brow and responded, "That's curious…I didn't sense any kind of aura on the boy, and I can _always_ sense them…people with magic weapon must have magic auras to match. Yusuke has one that goes with his spirit gun; your sword has your scent all over it…" he trailed off.

"It's called a keyblade; The Oblivion," Riku said, staring hard at the floor.

Kuwabara looked confused, "Wait, is this the guy Keiko found?"

"I thought you filled him in," Yusuke growled, glaring at Kurama and Keiko.

"We did," Kurama said huffily.

"On the demon and your case, anyways…" Keiko added with a sigh.

"My name is Riku, and I hate pretty much everyone in this room," Riku smiled fondly at him, holding out a hand, "how about you?"

Kuwabara looked from Riku's smiling face to his outstretched hand, realizing that he was being sarcastic, and said cheekily, "and I'm sure it's mutual. I'm Kuwabara," he eyed the bloodstains on Riku's hands and clothes nervously.

Hiei spoke up, "Don't pick fights with enemies you know nothing about, fool. It's a stupid idea."

"I didn't ask your opinion, runt!" Kuwabara said angrily.

"STOP FIGHTING!" Keiko screamed, her fists shaking and eyes squeezed shut.

The room became deathly quiet and she continued.

"We shouldn't be fighting each other…we-"

A knock interrupted her. Everyone turned expectantly to Kuwabara to get the door, as it was his house. Grudgingly, he got up and did so.

"Yeah, whaddya want?" he said, opening it.

The person, much shorter than Kuwabara, replied in a gruff voice, "Show some respect."

Yusuke grinned widely and ran to the door, "Genkai!"

Kurama and Hiei shifted, looking at each other strangely; If Genkai was here, something was up. Kuwabara immediately took back what he'd said and apologized profusely. Keiko smiled politely and greeted the old woman.

Riku just stared. Who on Earth was this oldwoman, that she demanded such respect from two accomplished fighters? He gulped nervously. He was getting tired of explaining himself to strangers.


End file.
